Every single specific action you can take to make yourself do something is motivation. Not discipline.

And that’s why discipline is a myth. It might sound good, but it’s not a useful concept. When it comes to taking specific actions to make yourself do something, the only things you can do are motivation. Not discipline. I’ve challenged people to come up with a discipline action that isn’t motivation for years now, and no one has done it.

Like this:

Being a Premium Membership Subscriber (from the very beginning) of Manager Tools, I’ve the privilege of receiving a regular email from Mark called “Things I think I think”: as usual another very good piece of value from Manager Tools tools (if you don’t know them, go and listen to the HUGE AMOUNT of free content and then apply for the Premium Membership).

In the last one, before Christmas 2010, there was this recommendation I couldn’t agree more:

I don’t really recommend New Year’s resolutions, but if you like them, two suggestions:

Just one

Physical fitness

The ancient latins used to say “mens sana in corpore sano” and it’s something you really understand when you get 40: you cannot imagine how your performance (however you define it: playing with your son, making business, staying with your family, working hard …) is affected by your physical shape.

So, if you are not yet in your 40, don’t wait: start now (no matter the New Year’s Resolution 🙂 )!

Like this:

Talking about communication techniques, management, time management and these kind of topics we have been convinced in the last years that we have to start say NO and we have been taught how to do it in a way is ‘healthy’ (see some references here and here and here). Saying more NOs should help in prioritization, in managing stress, in saving money, in our relationship … almost everywhere.

Now, what if we never say NO again? How our relationship would change? How could our schedule change? How could this effect the way we are perceived and we perceive ourselves? Could we arrange our life in a way to do it?

I really would love to have feedback from you about this topic: which is the single thing it will change in you life (work, personal, family …) if you start say YES?